John S. Roberts dried fruits

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Summary
Business

Dried Fruit Packer
Main Location

San Jose
Active

1934-1945
Predecessors

Higgins-Hyde Packing Company

John S. Roberts was a dried fruit packer, active in San Jose from 1934 to 1945. J.S. Roberts had been a vice president for Higgins-Hyde Packing Company in the early 1930's. He appears to have restarted the company in the same plant after their disappearance. PHotos of the building in 1934 (after the San Carlos Street overpass was complete) show the J.S. Roberts name on the building.

Robert's plant was a large, barn-like structure wedged between the Southern Pacific Los Gatos branch railroad tracks and the new San Carlos Street viaduct. The building, built for Pacific Fruit Products in 1902, was three stories high with grading machinery on the top floor, storage bins in the middle, and packing rooms at the bottom. Abinante and Nola would use the same building after World War II. A sulfur room was attached on the southeast side of the building[1].

In 1939, Roberts sold 1,750 tons of prunes, apricots, peaches, and pears worth $80,000[2].

Roberts may also have had a Fresno dried fruit plant.

Locations

Location Years Address Details
San Jose 1934-1945 750 W. San Carlos Street

Photos

Del Monte and J.S. Roberts dried fruit. From John C. Gordon Panoramic Collection, San Jose State University

References

  1. Apricots Are Burned: Sept. 2, 1942 San Jose Evening News. "Originating in a pile of sulphur, fire spread to consume 100 trays of dying apricots at the John S. Robert dried fruit plant, 750 West San Carlos Street, last night. Firemen confined the blaze to the single small sulphur house."
  2. Abinante and Nola et. al. vs Warehousemen's Union,Orders of the National Labor Relations Board Volume 26. Case C-1456 and R-1530 Decided August 24, 1940.